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Pharmacy students in national competition

From left: Karl D. Fiebelkorn, adviser, with students Christopher Daly, Christopher Diehl and Clare Carroll.

By SARA SALDI
Published: July 21, 2011

Three students in the PharmD/MBA combined degree program and their adviser have been chosen to be among three finalist teams competing live at the 2011 National Community Pharmacist Association's (NCPA) annual convention.

Clare Carroll, Christopher Daly, Christopher Diehl and their adviser, Karl D. Fiebelkorn, associate dean for student affairs and professional relations in pharmacy practice, are UB's Pruitt-Schutte 2011 team.

“I am immensely proud of these students,” says Fiebelkorn.

The 2011 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition was established to promote interest in independent community pharmacy ownership. The live competition will take place during the Oct. 8-12 NCPA 2011 convention in Nashville. In addition to the UB team, the finalists are Idaho State University and the University of Oklahoma.

Teams from 35 schools of pharmacy throughout the country submitted paper/electronic business plans based on either creating a new pharmacy or buying an existing business. The top three plans were then chosen by judges who are pharmacy business owners and industry leaders from around the country.

Final presentations will be delivered in front of a panel of judges and approximately 1,000 audience members.

The first-place prize is $3,000 to the NCPA student chapter and $3,000 in the winning team's dean's name to promote independent pharmacy education at the school. In addition, the team members, team adviser and dean will receive complimentary registration, travel and lodging for the Multiple Location Conference (formerly the Independent Chain Conference) in February 2012, which will be held at the Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Fla.

“This project has allowed me to showcase a combination of my management skills with my pharmacy background,” says Carroll, who is part of the 2014 PharmD/MBA class. “I have learned how to manage a long-term project, build professional and personal relationships and how and when to apply appropriate leadership work styles.”